Corning Council Approves Roads Project

Residents Will See a Two Percent Increase to Improve City Streets

May 7, 2012

CORNING (WENY) -- Corning residents will pay slightly more in taxes next year to bring city roads up to par. The city council unanimously approved the $30 million measure at Monday night's meeting. Property taxes will go up by 2 percent annually, and the entire project will improve roads over the next 14 years.

Corning currently has a score around 52 under the Pavement Quality Index, a national standard used to rate roads. A score of 70 is considered acceptable, and city leaders hope to have a score near that after the project is completed.

Planners still have to map out which roads will get attention first, but city officials say this investment is a step in the right direction. "It gives us a plan, it gives us an opportunity to put so much money every year towards fixing the roads up, where before it was hit or miss," says Mayor Richard Negri. "Now we've established a goal."

There's a chance taxes could continue going up over the years, but Negri says it should never exceed one or two percent. Construction is scheduled to start this summer.